KYOTO -- Samurai cinema transports moviegoers back to a long-vanished Japan with period dramas filmed amid elaborate sets. One area of Kyoto's tradition-steeped Uzumasa district is where much of the production takes place.
Former capital has never lost its looks or charm for top film studios

Toei Kyoto Studio Park operates as a theme park, but it is also widely used as movie sets when filming. (Photo by Yasunori Okamura)
KYOTO -- Samurai cinema transports moviegoers back to a long-vanished Japan with period dramas filmed amid elaborate sets. One area of Kyoto's tradition-steeped Uzumasa district is where much of the production takes place.